Plant: Sarah's Favorite - Crape Myrtle

Plant description

Crape myrtle is a deciduous, erect, multi trunked small tree or large shrub grown for showy panicles of crepe paper like flowers that open from July into September. The simple leaves emerge with red tinges, mature dark green and glossy, and turn yellow, orange or red in fall, while the thin pale brown to gray bark peels and exfoliates for winter interest. It needs full sun and moist, well drained soil, tolerates a wide pH range and occasional drought once established, and resists deer and pollution. Brown capsules persist through winter.

Flowers

Numerous irregular flowers about 1 to 1.5 inches wide with six clawed, crinkled petals that look like crepe paper, carried in terminal panicles 6 to 18 inches long from July into September.

Foliage

Simple leaves emerge green with red tinges and become dark green by summer, smooth and leathery with entire margins, oblong to elliptic to obovate, 1 to 3 inches long, on very short petioles.

Fruit

Six valved dehiscent capsules, brown and about half an inch wide, persisting through winter; the disc shaped seeds are 3/8 inch across and winged.

Bark & stems

Thin, smooth, pale brown to gray bark that peels and exfoliates; stems are green to brown, slender and often squarish with prominent wings.

Native range

Central Himalaya to S. China and Indo-China, Philippines, Japan

Plant details